Danske Bank Foresters Cup Final
Cross and Passion, Ballycastle 2-18-2-18 St Mary’s CBGS, Belfast 2-18
(AET, Cross and Passion win 3-1 on penalties)
Cross and Passion Ballycastle added the Foresters Cup to their collection of trophies this season when they beat St Mary’s in a penalty shoot-out at the end of a cracking game at Slemish Park, Ballymena on Monday afternoon. The game had ended at 1-13 to 0-16 at the end of normal time and 2-18 apiece after extra-time and so penalties were required for the first time in a Foresters Cup decider.
Cormac McCann gave St Mary’s and early lead but points by Daire Elliott and Logan McConville gave Cross and Passion the lead for the first time. The game remained close as each time CPC edged ahead St Mary’s found a reply and midway through the half, St Marys hit the front again when Keelan McCann fire over and a pointed free by Jake Ward put them two clear.
Points by Charlie McAuley and Cahir McCaughan tied things up once again but CPC moved ahead when a McCaughan penalty was saved by St Mary’s goalkeeper Fionn Smyth, but the ball rebounded into the path of CPC’s Matthew Donnelly who blasted to the net.
St Mary’s responded well with Jake Ward sending over from a 65′ which was followed by one from play by Conal Dempsey and another from Cormac McCann which sent the teams in level at the break on1-6 to 0-9.
Four in a row at the star of the second half saw Ballycastle take a grip of the game again but St Mary’s kept battling away and were rewarded when point from Darren Delander and Cormac McCann free got them back in contention.
Ten minutes from time McCann added his fifth point of the game one-point to leave just a point in it, but Cross and Passion stretched their lead on three occasions, as Darragh Kinney and Logan McConville found the target.
St Mary appeared to be in deep trouble but Cormac McCann sent over a close-range free but Damian McMahon replied to leave a goal between the sides with time almost up.
St Mary’s refused to panic however and the excellent McCann added a further two frees to leave the bare minimum between the sides as the game went into over time. The tension was high at this stage and chances were squandered by both sides but St Mary’s won a free with time almost up and Jake Ward split the CPC uprights to tie it all up at the final whistle.
Paidi O’Kane saves and celebrates during the penalty shoot-out
CPC ahead again in front again early in the first period of extra time with a Charlie McAuley point and when Daire Elliott got his team’s second goal there seemed no way back for the Belfast boys.
and looked to have dealt St Mary’s a hammer blow when Cahir McCaughan passed the ball across and Daire Elliott slammed a shot to the net to give his side a 2-14 to 0-16 lead.
Within two minutes St Mary’s bounced back however, when Cormac McCann broke through and rifled the ball to the net before celebrating in style. It all appeared to be in vein however when CPC stretched the gap out to three again with just seconds remaining.
We all thought it was done and dusted but St Mary’s refused to give up, and their efforts were were rewarded when right half back Aaron Kennedy’s fired a shot to the top corner of the CPC net to bring the game to penalties.
Penalties was probably something that neither side wanted but that is the way it had to be. Stand in goalkeeper Paidi O’Kane, who was drafted in at the eleventh hour when regular goalkeeper was injured during the week became the hero of the hour when he saved the first St Mary’s penalty which left the Glen Road boys up against it. The CPC boys struck their penalties clean and accurate with Charlie McAuley and Daire Elliott making no mistake. St Mary’s got off the mark through a successful Matthew Murray strike, but Cahir McCaughan made it three-from-three for Cross and Passion and when the next St Mary’s penalty was also missed the celebrations got underway in the CPC camp.
Cross and Passion scorers: Damian McMahon (0-5, 0-3f), Logan McConville (0-4, 0-3f), Darragh Kinney (0-3), Daire Elliott (1-2), Matthew Donnelly (1-0), Charlie McAuley (0-2), Caolan Christie (0-1), Cahir McCaughan (0-1f).
St Mary’s scorers: Cormac McCann (1-8, 0-8f), Conal Dempster (0-3), Jake Ward (0-3, 0-2f, 1 65′), Keelan McCann (0-2), Darren Delander (0-2), Aaron Kennedy (1-0).
REFEREE: R Matthews (Rossa)
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CROSS & PASSION COLLEGE
1 Padai O’Kane
2 Conor McCann
3 Liam Smyth
4 JJ McGarry
5 Oran Baudant
6 Eunan Johnston
7 Oisin Donnelly
8 Darragh Kinney
9 Logan McConville
10 Damian McMahon
11 Charlie McAuley
12 Caolan Christie
13 Daire Elliott
14 Matthew Donnelly
15 Cathair McCaughan
16 Conlon Douthart
17 Aaron Gillan
18 Oran Devlin
19 Shea McGowan
20 Eoin Bailey
21 Odhran Boyle
22 Joe Deery
23 Adam Scullion
24 Sean Hunter
25 Cormac McGee
26 Conall McCarry
27 Sean McHenry
28 Peter Laverty
29 Ruairi Laverty
30 Patrick Campbell